An Update

I don't have a whole lot of time to update but i wanted to fill you all in on the happenings here. Today was the conclusion of my orientation. This week was full of Kiswahili lessons, moving into my homestay, taking the matatu (the taxi-type public transportation) for the first time, learning as much as you can about cross-cultural relations, and going into Kibera (the place where I am going to spending the majority of my time) for the first time.

I have loved every moment of all these various angles of being here though they have not been easy. Kiswahili is going well. It is difficult to learn another language and maybe even more difficult since most of the people here do not speak it in public. The official language of Kenya is English so most of the people speak English. However, Elf and I really want to learn as much of Kiswahili as possible so that we can show in another way that we care to learn and that we are not expecting the Kenyans to adapt to us but we, coming into their country, need to learn to adapt as much as we can to them. It is all part of bridging gaps and building relationships. The pivotal and vital aspect to the Kenyans (and I think it should be for all of us) is the idea, and reality, of relationships. So, with this in mind, if Elf and I can find as many ways as we can to build into relationships we can gain trust within these relationships and hope to be a source of encouragement pointing to the One who is our encouragement and hope as well...Jesus!

My homestay family is amazing! They are absolutely a riot! They make me laugh constantly! They have hosted a lot of short term missionaries so they are definitely a great resource for us when we have questions about things, etc. They have three young adults (ranging from 22-27) staying with them at the moment. In Kenya, since relationships are so important, hospitality is a very big deal. My homestay BaBa (kiswahili for father)says, "there is always room for one more..." That makes me smile!

Elf and I are LEARNING to be good Kenyan housewives. We are trying to make sure we are in the kitchen when the chapatis, the ugali, and the chai are being made so when we are living on our own (in 5 weeks)we are not un-hospitable when visitors drop by (which is pretty much expected). It is crucial to have a thermos ready for chai when people come over or you will be seen as un-welcoming. We have discovered that we have an amazing capacity for chai because you are expected to drink it whenever you go to someone's house, even if you just came from someone's house and had it there. We (and by that I mean me because Elf already knew how) are also learning to hand wash all our clothes. It is very pathetic when I think that I have never really had to hand wash my clothes. You learn to do it more often though because you can only do so much at once and it takes a while to dry especially when it is as cold as it has been lately. We are also learning to bath in a bucket in cold water! We are hoping to get running water in the next couple of days since we have not had it since we have moved in. The neighborhoods go through a cycle of sorts where you have two days off of water so as to conserve it. We get the water we use to bath in out of a massive conservation bucket outside our room...we are not sure where that water comes from but know we must boil it to drink it...we assume it just miraculously appears when it gets low:)

Yesterday was our first time to Kibera. Basically, we just spent the morning there, doing some home visitations with the staff of the organization we will be working with. I am still processing through my initial thoughts and feelings of yesterday...It is one thing to do research about a place, see all the pictures and hear all the stories and then quite another thing to go there and look into to the faces of people, hear the beautiful, excited voices of the children, smell the smells that words cannot describe, and learn the names and begin to start to know the lives of the people there...It is something else. But, i will say, I am so thankful that God is a God that does not despise the broken and contrite in spirit and those that call on Him from a sincere heart. This is what I have been and am learning...Only He can give me the wisdom and strength and love and hope as I come to Him with this kind of heart and I can intern point people with the same heart to the Only true source of love and hope and peace. It is truly all about Him and for Him!!

Apparently, I had a lot more time to update than I anticipated, though I know I could write more. However, I will end here, thank you all for your comments on the Blog, it is encouraging to me in more ways than you can know! Thank you especially for your prayers...this battle we fight is not one of flesh and blood and I truly treasure those of you battling with me spiritually! Know that i think about you all often and would love to hear of prayer requests you have as well!

In Him and for Him,
Shayla